Sealskin
by LadyShiin
Summary: After her mother’s death, Kaoru and her father moved from their village to the city. With the arrival of a redhaired stranger who smells of the sea Kaoru discovers the truth about her mothers past… and her future. Finished
1. Chapter 1

_Come away, O human child!  
To the waters and the wild  
With a faery, hand in hand,  
For the world's more full of weeping than you  
can understand_

_W. B. Yeats – The Stolen Child_

000

Kaoru's memories of her mother were vague and misty. A pale face framed by a halo of dark curly hair and eyes the color of the sea tossed by storms. In her memories her mother never smiled. There was always an aura of sadness about her.

Kaoru didn't remember the details of her death. She couldn't recall if her mother had died of a wasting illness or just dropped dead one day. What she did remember was walking into her parents bedroom just after dawn – her father had already left for work in the harbor and some faint sense of urgency had filled her, sending her fleeing to her parent's bedroom and the comfort of her mother's arms.

What she found when she slipped into the room was her mother dead upon the bed, her head turned in the direction of the window that overlooked the ocean. Her expression had been peaceful, almost happy. Gone was the ever-present lingering sadness that seemed to envelop her.

The neighbors attracted by her screams had come into the house to find her curled against her mother, sobbing. Kaoru remembered the unaffected looks on their faces as they stared down at her mother's body. They had expected her mother's death; it had come as no surprise to them. This piece of memory only unearthed itself years later and Kaoru had been puzzled and a little alarmed by it when she had it slip into her conscious.

Her father had returned within the hour. By noon Kaoru had found herself sitting beside him on a train heading inland away from the coast. As they had ventured farther and farther from the sea a great pain had ripped at her heart and she had wept silently – for what exactly she did not know – the entire way to the City.

The house her father had bought for them had nothing familiar about it. It was a modern dwelling of steal and concrete, there was no wood or anything of the earth. And it was several stories up in the air. Kaoru missed the taste of salt in the air, the rough grains of sand against her feet. The reedy call of the gulls circling in the sky.

She spent the first few days curled up on the seat of the couch, looking out the window at the sky. Something she had seen her mother do frequently. The expression on her father's face when he had first caught her like that had shocked her. Anger, sadness and something else that had made her throat tighten.

She had barely been in the City a week before she found herself enrolled in school. The starchy uniform she had been forced into chafed her skin and she thought longingly of her trousers, ripped at the knees and her loose tunics. So used to running around barefoot, her feet felt constricted in the shoes they were forced into.

The children were another matter all together.

They weren't openly hostile. But there was as feeling of tension in the air. Of wariness. Kaoru could have almost expected it. She had felt the same things from the townsfolk of her home whenever she and her mother had gone to the market. They kept their distance and whenever they had spoken to them they had been polite. But it was an edged-politeness. That tension had faded whenever they had gone into town with her father. But if they ventured without him at their side they were once more met by wall of icy politeness.

Kaoru may have attempted to make friends at any other time. But she was too wrapped up in grief over her mother's death that she walked in a haze. She didn't miss what she didn't have and found her solace in books. It had soon become apparent that her schooling in her little village did not come up to the standards of the City and so to keep from being dropped down in class Kaoru had thrown herself into her studies, especially her reading.

They might have written her off as a book-reading geek at least until the weather had warmed up and for gym class they found themselves swimming. Kaoru had grown up with the sea in her backyard. Swimming was as natural as breathing to her and she felt some of the ache in her chest disappear when she entered the water. It was pool water, sterile and chlorinated and missing the salt of the sea – but it was water.

She had run home after her first day of gym class excited and eager to tell her father. His expression when he had seen her – hair still wet and dripping from the water and her face flushed – had stopped her mid-speech.

He wasn't the father she remembered. The one who always had a smile on his face. Who would sit in front of the fireplace at night playing his fiddle and singing songs with his eyes sparkling in the light.

Some part of him had died along with her mother.

Kaoru found herself stepping on eggshells around him. A distance grew between them that she hated. It was the look in his eyes when he glanced at her. A sorrow-tinged expression. The years passed and Kaoru didn't realize the exact reason for it until she was going through some boxes in the attic one day and stumbled across a picture of her mother taken just after their wedding.

She looked just like her. She had the same dark hair with a hint of curl, blue eyes and fair skin that never tanned no matter how much she was exposed to the sun.

Kaoru began to spend as little time as possible at home.

If she wasn't at school for study or swimming she was in the library. Her gym teacher caught her several times swimming when everyone had already headed home and suggested that she join the school team. Kaoru agreed and proved to be a very fast swimmer, helping the win many competitions and she managed to gain some measure of acceptance for her accomplishments at school.

Her father never once came to her competitions.

Kaoru swam throughout high school and when applying for a college was given a partial scholarship in one of the larger universities of the City for swimming. Just before she was supposed to start her freshman year her father died suddenly of a heart attack over the summer.

Once more Kaoru threw herself into her studies and swimming as a way to escape her grief. Her freshman year was stellar grade wise and she made the Dean's list, but Kaoru was unhappy.

She decided to drop out for a year or so to give herself a chance to figure out what she was going to do.

The first thing she did was sell the apartment. Kaoru had never felt comfortable so high up and away from the ground encased in steel and manufactured stone and wood. She bought a small, old, wooden house not far from the university. It was dirt cheap because it had none of the modern conveniences and was badly in need of repair.

Kaoru loved it.

The floor under several inches of dust was proven to be authentic stone. There was a little fireplace that needed sweeping out, there was no heater and the air conditioning worked only half the time. You never knew if the laundry was actually going to wash and forget about the kitchen. Kaoru burned more meals than she actually ate. There was no dishwasher.

But out in the back there was a tiny plot of land. Kaoru planted vegetables and flowers and hung birdfeeders from the ancient tree in the yard. She bought a water decoration and the sound of constantly running water was soothing.

Little by little the ache in her chest disappeared to a dull throb that only panged her in the mornings when she awoke from dreams with the smell of the salt strong in her nose and mistaking the tears on her face for sea-spray.

She swam daily at the pool and began to teach kids to swim in her spare time for a little bit of extra cash.

It was after a rather tough teaching lesson (seriously how hard was it to do a butterfly?) that Kaoru decided to stop off at the café on the corner for a much needed cup of coffee and chocolate muffin.

She had taken a quick swim herself in an effort to get rid of some of her frustration. Kaoru liked kids she really did. But after teaching several lessons all day the best way she knew to take the edge off was a dip in the pool followed by caffeine and chocolate.

The café was packed as usual.

College kids lounged in the couches and chairs with a cup of coffee in one hand and a pen in the other as they bent over their textbooks. The murmur of voices and soothing sounds of conversation was accented by the instrumental music playing from the speakers high up in the corners of the ceiling.

Kaoru slipped into the line and dug around her purse for the money she needed. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a flicker of color and an odd thrill ran down her spine. When she turned to look whatever it was that had caught her attention was gone.

Pushing it to the back of her mind she ordered her coffee and muffin and walked home. Several times she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, just beyond her line of sight. Whatever it was, it kept disappearing whenever she attempted to get a good look at it.

Kaoru found herself unconsciously speeding up her walking and cursing that she'd forgotten her mace. The City had never been known to be a dangerous one, crime was very low if nonexistent and Kaoru had never, not felt completely safe living there. Still she couldn't push back the unease at the edges of her mind.

She dug out her key from her pocket several strides before the door and slipped it into the lock, letting herself in and closing and locking the door quickly. Once inside she let herself collapse on the couch.

She lay there for several moments still clutching her muffin and coffee. With a sigh and a shake of her head for being so foolish she got to her feet and left the muffin and coffee on the kitchen table as she walked through the house and out the back into her garden.

What she found in there nearly had her fleeing back inside.

What she found was correct.

Even though she would deny it later Kaoru had known instinctively the second she had laid eyes on him that he was not human.

He was standing with his back to her one hand outstretched over her water fountain. Above his palm droplets of water danced.

Kaoru took a step back in the direction of her house and must have made some kind of noise because he turned toward her and for a moment all she could see was gold-edged violet eyes and a face framed by hair the color of crimson.

There was a roaring in Kaoru's ears and the taste of salt was strong on her tongue. She blinked and the image of the ocean appeared on the backs of her eyelids and then faded away.

All of Kaoru's instincts were screaming at her to run into the house and lock the door (and put a chair up against it under the knob for good measure) and call the police. They came to a screeching halt when she remembered belatedly that she didn't own a phone.

She knew she'd forgotten to install something when she moved into the house…

Slowly and carefully she began to back in the direction of the house. The roaring in her ears had softened to a dull throb and the ache in her chest made it hard to breathe. Blinking again her mind was assaulted by the images of white-foamed waves breaking upon sand and the cries of gulls.

She staggered and unexpectedly there were tears in her eyes.

"Wha - ?" Her mouth didn't seem to want to form the words.

"How long have you been away from the sea?"

"What?" Kaoru blinked at him. The sea? What did that have to do with anything?

"You don't know what you are do you?" His voice was unexpectedly soft.

Kaoru could only gape at him.

The urge to flee was still there. He didn't appear dangerous. A bit crazy perhaps but that was nothing a call to the men in white coats couldn't fix.

"Who are you?" She finally managed. Now all she needed to do was keep him calm and run over to the neighbors and get them to call for whoever it was that you called in situations like this.

"You should be able to tell who I am."

Kaoru blinked at him. "Yeah… right…"

The expression on his face flickered suddenly turning almost angry. Frustrated… exasperated maybe…

"How have you gone so long not knowing what you are?" His eyes were a swirl of gold and violet and Kaoru found herself oddly fascinated. "I can't even smell the sea on you. You've been away so long. Almost too long..."

Kaoru nodded blankly. Keep agreeing with him and buy some time. She could make him tea or something and then slip over to the neighbors. It seemed to be her best bet. She really had no clue how to deal with crazy people.

He shook his head suddenly, a smile tugging at his mouth. "You think I'm crazy don't you?"

"Um…" Kaoru murmured. Did he really want her to answer that?

"I'm not," he insisted.

Kaoru nodded again. Sure whatever you say… keep agreeing with him…

"My name is Kenshin," he told her.

"Nice to meet you," Kaoru managed. "I'm Kaoru."

He smiled and it made his eyes sparkle. He was pretty good looking for a crazy person; Kaoru found herself thinking and then squashed the thought.

"We're not meeting under the best of circumstances. I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable."

"That's okay," Kaoru said. "Would you like to come in…? I could make tea or something…" she offered.

He nodded. "Tea would be welcome."

Kaoru didn't take her eyes off him as she stepped toward the door. "Come in," she invited holding it open. She just hoped she wasn't making a mistake. He wasn't one of those weird people who thought they were vampires and would take an invitation inside for permission to do things.

He brushed past her on the way into the house and Kaoru caught the scent of sea salt from his coat. There were a few grains of sand imbedded in the leather along the creases and she half-expected suddenly to find a strand of seaweed or something stuck to it.

The ache in her chest sharpened and she sucked in a breath.

When she opened her eyes (she didn't remember closing them) he was looking at her and there was something oddly compassionate in his gaze. She met it squarely and the ache in her chest traveled to her throat where it formed a hard lump.

"Sit down," he murmured. "I'll make the tea."

Feeling somewhat dazed she nodded and moved over to her table, pulling a chair away from it and settling down heavily upon it.

He moved quietly through her kitchen. There was a grace to him that had made it hard for Kaoru to keep her eyes off of him. He looked around appreciatively and flashed her a small smile before filling the kettle to boil for tea and pulling out two cups and teabags. The cup of coffee and muffin she had left on the table he tossed into the garbage.

There were no words of how backwards she was to be living in a house that barely had heating in a time of computers (which she didn't own) and television (Kaoru never really found herself watching it so she hadn't bought one).

Then again… as Kaoru watched him closely she couldn't quite see him living in one of those soul-less high rises of made of steel and concrete either. He wasn't a city dweller. She knew that for certain. It was the aura he gave off, the clothes he wore, the way he moved.

She blinked pulling herself out of her thoughts as he set the cup of tea down in front of her. She took it automatically and raised it to her lips. He was watching her and she looked away finding the scrutiny uncomfortable. Lowering her tea to her lap, she cradled it between her palms, her finger tapping idly against it.

He sighed softly, pulling out a chair away from the table and sitting down. "I've made you uncomfortable again haven't I? I apologize." He ran his fingers through his bangs, raking them out of his eyes.

"I… I just don't know why you are here," Kaoru murmured.

"You called me," he replied.

Kaoru could only blink at him.

"Our… kind can recognize one another the second we lay eyes on each other." He explained for all the good it did her. Which was none.

"What's 'our kind'?" Kaoru asked, she couldn't quite keep the wariness from her voice.

"Selkie," Kenshin replied, "Roane-folk."

"Seals," Kaoru said.

He shook his head, "not quite. We can take their appearance but we are different."

Kaoru nodded again.

Kenshin smiled somewhat sadly. "You don't believe me do you?"

Kaoru opened her mouth and then closed it. Shaking her head she offered him an almost apologetic, "no."

"I don't blame you," the look in his eyes was understanding and sympathetic. "You are an orphan aren't you?"

"My father recently died," Kaoru admitted softly.

"And your mother?" He questioned.

"When I was little… We moved to the City, father and I, not long after."

"You look like her don't you?"

"I think so," Kaoru replied. "My memories of her are not that clear."

"She was a Selkie," Kenshin murmured almost too soft for her to hear. "She wasted away having been made to live separate from the sea and without her skin."

"She wasn't a Selkie," Kaoru insisted. "She was a human. Who… who just spent all of her time looking at the sea…" Her hands tightened around the mug, becoming white-knuckled. The sadness her mother had always carried with her, the way her eyes would always look past her and toward the direction of the sea… all those odd little habits and quirks suddenly seemed clear to her.

It all made a twisted kind of sense and Kaoru found herself oddly accepting of it. But at the same time…

"I'm not a Selkie," she spread out her hands. "See no webbing between my fingers."

"That's an old wives tale," Kenshin said. "Selkie-born children look just as human as the human children."

The things that was scaring Kaoru the most was that she was pretty certain he was crazy. But aside from the things he was saying (which she was doing her best not to believe and finding ever so slowly that she was failing) was that he appeared completely and utterly sane. He wasn't foaming at the mouth or acting crazy. Either it was true or he was so deep into his delusion that he believed it was the truth he was speaking.

"I know you think I'm crazy," he repeated his words from earlier.

Kaoru nodded silently.

He didn't seem offended, Kaoru was glad.

"You are a Selkie," he insisted. "You probably swim every day. Every chance you get." He laughed suddenly, very softly. "Do you put salt in everything that you eat?"

Kaoru's eyes flickered over to her nearly empty salt shaker. He followed her gaze and shook his head smiling.

"I don't know how you've lasted as long as you have, so far away from the sea." The humor in his voice was suddenly gone.

The sea…

Every time he said the word images flashed through Kaoru's head. Faint at first but steadily growing stronger… Memories of growing up in her little coastal village. The way the sand would feel, fine and silky against her feet cream colored and golden-tinged by the sun and then turn dark brown and feel rougher as it became wet. The glistening strands of sea weed that washed up upon the shore. The way that the ocean would reflect the light, stealing the colors of dawn and dusk from the sky…

Her tears started then, slipping hot and wet from beneath her eyelids. Kaoru could taste the salt on her lips. The lump in her throat dissolved and the ever-present ache in her chest spread throughout her body.

A keen tore its way from her throat, the sound high-pitched and haunting. A longing that she hadn't known she had. That she had refused to recognize, had locked away with her mother's death, thrummed through her.

Vaguely she registered Kenshin then, taking her cup of tea gently from between numb fingers. He picked her up carefully and she burrowed her face against his shoulder, clutching at his jacket and feeling the grains of sand imbedded there rough against her face and palms.

Without speaking he carried her to her bedroom, nudging open the door soundlessly and setting her down upon the bed. Gently he pried her fingers free from his coat and pulled the covers over her. Kaoru kept her eyes closed and felt his fingers run through her hair pulling her hair tie free and then a soft touch at her cheek and he was gone.

000

Kenshin let the door close shut behind him. For a moment he paused and listened. Her sobs had quieted. After a moment he heard the sound of even breathing. She had fallen asleep.

He frowned, eyes narrowing. How she had lasted so long was a mystery. The human-half of her blood must have been the only thing keeping her alive in this city. Selkie's weren't meant to live away from the sea, trapped in metal and far from the earth.

And she hadn't been taking care of herself either. Her skin was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She had been too light in her arms when he had picked her up. And when he had gone through her cupboards he had found a lot of instant soups and junk food. There wasn't even any fish…

He quickly cleaned up what little there was to do in the kitchen. A quick check on Kaoru found her still asleep and he slipped silently from the house in search of something more edible and healthier than instant ramen and macaroni and cheese to fill her cupboards.

Kaoru woke feeling drained. Her eyes were gritty as she pried them open and she rubbed at them with a fist. Pushing back the covers she sat up and tried to remember what had happened.

Kenshin… Selkies… Her mother…

The lump tried to reform in her throat and she swallowed. No, no more crying. Taking a deep breath she sighed and then paused…

Was that cooking she smelled?

It couldn't be.

Her ancient stove objected to anything more daring than macaroni and cheese. Kaoru had once attempted to make spaghetti only to have it catch fire and end up a charred mess. She didn't even want to think about the time she had experimented with mackerel…

It wasn't that she couldn't cook. It was just she was pretty sure her stove was on the high side of a hundred and acted like a grumpy old person. It had very distinct likes and dislikes and opinions about what she was allowed to cook. Anything that once been living was not included on that list. Kaoru was half-certain it had been a vegetarian in a past life.

She got out of bed and padded down to her kitchen to find Kenshin busily engrossed in cooking what looked like salmon on her stove. The thing that had her gaping was that the stove was actually allowing him to do so. There wasn't a cloud of black smoke to be seen anywhere.

He heard her approve and turned his head as she appeared. "Sit down, I'm almost done. I made tea if you want some."

Kaoru nodded and made her way to the table and poured herself a cup of tea. "What are you making?" She asked curiously.

"Salmon," he replied. "And pasta with parmesan and spinach."

Kaoru blinked. When was the last time she had, had fish in her home and not in a restaurant (hell when was the last time she even ate fish in a restaurant?).

"Good luck," she said.

"Hmm?"

Kaoru jerked her head in the direction of the stove. "My stove is finicky."

"It seems to be behaving itself." He turned the salmon over and scrutinized it. "A few more minutes I think."

Her stove was behaving itself. Evidently it liked him. Kaoru wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

He went over to her cupboard and pulled some plates from it and then some forks and knives from the drawer which he then set down on the table. He moved around her kitchen as if he had been there all his life. Kaoru found it a bit uncomfortable.

She watched and sipped her tea as he put some pasta mixed with spinach and then sprinkled parmesan over it before setting it down on the table in front of her.

Kaoru wrinkled her nose, "spinach?"

"You need the iron. You're too pale." He replied.

Kaoru arched an eyebrow and her grip on her fork tightened before she could stab him however he moved out of reach.

Turning her gaze to the pasta she glared at it and then stabbed it and took a tentative bite. It tasted good much to her surprise. Very good.

Drat him, he would know how to cook and more so her stove would actually allow him to.

She concentrated on eating and ignoring him. Kenshin took her plate away once she had finished the pasta and spinach and replaced it with some salmon before grabbing his own dinner and sitting down across from her.

"How is it?" He asked.

"Good," Kaoru admitted.

"You need anything else?" Kenshin questioned.

"No thank you," Kaoru replied. Maybe for him to leave so she could try to get her world which had suddenly been turned upside down back right side up.

It didn't look likely.

"So…" Kaoru tried. "Selkie?"

Kenshin's fork paused in midair. "Yes."

"Don't know why I believe you but I do." Kaoru rubbed at her temples. "You come out of nowhere and inform me that I'm not human and am in fact a seal."

"Selkie," he corrected gently.

"Selkie," Kaoru amended. She dropped her hand away from her temples and gave him a level look. "So what now?"

"You need to leave the City," Kenshin told her.

"I can't," Kaoru's response was automatic.

"Why not?" Kenshin murmured softly. "What is holding you here?"

To be truthful nothing was. The only reason she had stayed in the City was because of her father and with him now dead… She found she had nothing to stay for. But for some reason Kaoru just couldn't leave. As much as she disliked living here, it was still her home. A home she felt unwelcome in but still a home nonetheless.

"Nothing," she finally admitted. "Nothing is holding me here."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Kaoru blinked. He felt sorry for her?

"It's… It's fine," she shrugged.

"Why did you never return to your home?" He asked.

Home… when he said it Kaoru thought of her little seaside village. With the waves flowing over the sand and the sky as blue and endless as forever…The ever present tang of salt in the air and the cries of the seabirds.

"I don't know," she replied. Her memories of her childhood there were bittersweet. Growing up next to the sea had been heaven but her mother's sudden and unexpected death had shattered that idyllic life she had lived.

"I'm afraid to," she finally said. If what he was saying was true… Then she didn't know what she'd find when she returned to her village. She was now well aware that secrets had been kept hidden from her, about her mother's death, her mother herself.

Once more the images of the looks on the villagers' faces as they had stared down at her mother's body flashed through her mind. Her death hadn't been unexpected to them. They had anticipated. They had known she was going to die…

If Kenshin was actually telling her the truth. That her mother had indeed been a Selkie – had they known what she was?

"Kenshin…" She took a deep breath before speaking. "If my mother was a Selkie… how did she die?" A lump formed in her throat. "Why did she die?"

"A Selkie cannot live without the sea. And to be in the sea it needs its sealskin." Kenshin's eyes were sad. "When we go around in human form we shed our skin. Most stash it someplace they think it to be safe. The easiest way to control a Selkie it to steal its skin... They cannot go back into the sea without it. And without it they will waste away and die."

"Couldn't they just find wherever they had their skin hidden and take it and go back to the sea?" Kaoru asked.

Kenshin nodded, "it does happen sometimes. But the magic in our skins warps when it is away from us. It becomes hard to find. Hard to detect where it is."

"Oh," Kaoru murmured softly.

Kenshin nodded again.

"Is that what happened?" Kaoru asked. "To my mother? My father took her skin and hid it from her?"

"It's possible." Kenshin replied.

The ever-present sadness in her mother's eyes… to be forcibly separated from the sea and unable to ever return… To end up wasting away because you could not go back to a place you loved…

"What happens to the children?" Kaoru questioned. "The ones born of Selkies and humans? Do they go with their Selkie parent back to the sea? Do they take them with them if they find their skin and return to the sea?"

"Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't." Kenshin answered. "Some want nothing to do with humans after being imprisoned on the land. Others love their children and take them into the sea."

Would her mother have left her father if she had found her skin? Would she have taken her with her? Or would she have just abandoned her?

"Come," Kenshin said, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts. "You need to get out of the City. It's killing you. Can't you feel it?"

The ache in her chest sharpened with his words. It had started when her father had taken her away from her village. Grown more and more painful the farther she had gone from the village. It had formed a constant kind of pain that she had almost stopped paying attention to. But ever since Kenshin had appeared it had doubled in pain, centering on her heart and squeezing tightly.

"Leave the City," Kenshin said again. "You have nothing to hold you here."

Kaoru bit her lip. "I…"

"I'll come with you."

Kaoru arched an eyebrow. "Who said you were coming along even if I did decide to go?"

"I got you into this mess," his grin was unrepentant. "I may as well see you through it."

Kaoru's eyes narrowed, "fine."

"Good," he got to his feet and started clearing the dishes. "We leave in the morning. I've already got the train tickets booked."

Kaoru sputtered incoherently at his back.

000

Myth Notes:

Selkie-born children supposedly had webbing between their fingers and toes. In the Orkney Islands where most of the Selkie-myths originate there is a family who is known for webbing in their fingers and toes and they have legends that say they descend from Selkies.

Selkie-women who had their skins stolen by human men supposedly made "good if wistful wives. Who were always staring at the seas." If they ever found their skins they always left their human husbands and sometimes the children they had with their human husbands. Other myths have them taking their children with them.

Shiin


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter two!

Enjoy

-Shiin

000

Kaoru tightened her grip on the handles of her luggage and fought the urge to launch it at the back of his head. She alternated glaring at the back of his head and the shining silver train in front of them.

She had given the keys to her house to her neighbor with a muttered explanation that there was a death in her family and she needed to attend the funeral far away and did not know when she would be back. It was the best excuse she could think of for leaving so suddenly in the middle of the night.

The old woman had eyed Kenshin with interest. Kaoru could almost see the wheels in her head turning and so had said something to the effect of "oh that's just Ken my cousin. Poor guy's a bit on the slow side. Cute yes, but he's as thick as two boards. Pay him no mind."

Kenshin's expression at her words had made her feel better. It was his fault she was leaving. She needed all the revenge she could get on him.

With a sigh she followed him up the steps and into the train. She was leaving the City. The realization of it hit her as she stepped onboard the train and slid into her seat across from him.

The train vibrated and gave a lurch before starting forward. Kaoru closed her eyes and let her head fall against the headrest. She didn't open them until she was well sure the train had pulled clear of the City.

As much as she had hated living there it had been a kind of home to her and having to watch it disappear would have made her cry.

Ever so slightly she could feel the ache in her chest fade as the train headed outward from the City and in the direction of the coast. There was only one train that headed from the City and toward the coast. Kaoru's village would be the first stop that it would hit and then continue onward following the curve of the coastline.

Trains had gotten faster since she had come to the City. The journey from her village with her father to the City as a child had taken nearly eight hours. Now the time was halved.

Four hours.

She would be in her village in four hours.

It seemed too short of a time to cover such a long distance.

She feigned sleep on the way there. Her mind was whirling and images flashed across the backs of her eyelids. The sea which had been ever present at the edges of her thoughts seemed to solidify until she could almost reach out and touch it. The crash of the waves echoed in time to the beat of her heart and she half expected to feel her face wet with spray. With a sigh she let it wash across her and sank into a true sleep.

Kenshin watched her as she slept. Already she appeared to be better. There was a growing color to her face. The circles under her eyes seemed to have faded away ever so slightly.

Some of the tension in him seeped away. She would be safe soon. He was glad she hadn't put up much of a fight. He had been prepared to slip something into her food and carry her onto the train if need be.

Still all of this was cutting it close. Had he not stumbled across her when he did, in a few months she could have been past the point of all help.

Dawn was breaking over the sky when they finally arrived at her village.

Kenshin shook her gently awake and she got to her feet, blinking. Letting her walk in front of him, he carried the luggage off the train.

And he nearly found himself running right into her as she stopped just clear of the train steps.

She sucked in a sharp breath and her body tensed so tightly it nearly vibrated.

"What is it?" Kenshin asked.

"It's… It's wrong…" Kaoru murmured so soft he barely heard.

"What is?" Kenshin peered over her shoulder.

"This…" Kaoru waved a hand.

Now as the light spilled over the village he saw what she meant. A fishing village like hers would have already been bustling with the men out to bring in the dawn's catch. There was no one to be seen. Several of the houses looked run down and unattended to.

The cobblestone street had grass and other plants growing from between the cracks.

"What happened here?" Kaoru whispered. This wasn't the village she remembered.

She didn't even notice when the train pulled away.

She knew a lot could change in ten years but not her village. The people had lived here for centuries. The same families had been in this village for generations. They did not just suddenly pick up and leave.

Silently she started walking down the street. It had the feeling of a ghost town. The women would have been up and doing their washing and hanging. The air would have been ringing with the sound of voices and laughter as they traded jokes and gossip.

The men worked every day, seven days a week except for holidays such as New Years and Summer Solstice. Today was not a holiday and so the village should have been bustling with work.

Where was everyone?

"Kaoru?" Kenshin questioned softly.

She shook her head and found her steps speeding up. On the next street was the house she had lived in as a child…

She broke into a run and rounded the corner and then stopped dead in her tracks.

If all the houses in the village looked like they had been neglected hers looked like it had been attacked. There were several holes in the windows. Having been caused from rocks being thrown if she judged the size correctly.

The little fence in front of the house was falling down and several boards were broken. Her mother's garden – one of the few things she remembered that had bought a smile to her face – that she had kept so neat and orderly was growing wild and untamed.

Tears filled her eyes and she struggled not to cry.

She heard footsteps behind her and half-turned to see Kenshin.

"This was my home," she explained quietly.

His gaze flickered toward the house and his mouth tightened. "What happened?"

"_She_ happened," a hissing voice said behind them.

Kaoru and Kenshin spun around to see a small wizened old woman her face a cobweb of wrinkles glaring at them. Her wispy white hair was pulled back into a severe bun and her eyes were narrowed into a glare, blue eyes practically throwing sparks.

Kaoru vaguely remembered her as one of their neighbors. Vaguely because the fact she had never looked pleased to see either Kaoru or her mother was the one thing that made her stick out in her mind.

"I know who you are." She said before Kaoru could open her mouth. "I know what you are too. You're the spit of her."

"My mother?" Kaoru asked.

"Who else?" The woman snapped back. "We knew we'd rue the day your father appeared with the Selkie-bitch. We told him to give her back to the sea but he refused. And then she got with child and it was too late."

Kenshin made a soft growling noise and she rounded on him. Her gaze traveled over him and then she raised a disinterested eyebrow. "At least you're sticking with your own kind which is more than I can say for your father."

Kaoru sputtered softly torn between strangling the old woman and asking more questions.

"Your father forbade anyone to tell you what you were. Thought if he kept it a secret that you wouldn't want for the sea like she did. We all saw that she was dying but the luck she brought with her was what kept them from setting her free." Her mouth curled. "I was all for sending the bitch back into the sea. I knew once she died the village would fall to ruin but the others refused to see that far ahead.

"He took you from the village before they could use you in her place. Even if a half-Selkie brought half-luck it was still good enough for them."

Kaoru felt something cold settle in the pit of her stomach at the old woman's words. There was a snarl and Kaoru saw that Kenshin's eyes had turned golden and the expression on his face was furious.

The old woman merely smiled at him. "I'm all that's left of the village. Too stubborn to leave and too old to change. Go ahead and kill me."

"No," Kenshin smiled and there was too much teeth there for Kaoru's liking. "You can stay here and rot."

The woman's face whitened with fury. "Then I guess I won't tell you where her skin was hid," her voice silky and a smile turned the corners of her mouth upwards.

"Do you really wish for death that badly?" Kaoru asked quietly.

"Three weeks after your mother died and you left the village there was a storm and two of my three sons were caught by it while out fishing. A year later my third son caught fever and died suddenly. The shock of his death made his wife miscarry their firstborn." A mixture of anger and sorrow swirled in her eyes. "I have nothing to live for now."

"And you blame your losses on her how?" Kenshin asked. "You were born in this village. You know how dangerous the sea is. How quickly it can change. The odds of all of your children making it to adulthood and surviving are slim at best." His eyes narrowed. "Selkies have no more luck than regular humans. Don't use her as a scapegoat."

The woman's mouth snapped shut with a click and she glared soundlessly at him. "And the luck?"

Kenshin shrugged. "The cycle of the world. You have good years and you have bad ones. The fact that Kaoru and her mother were around for the good is coincidence."

The old woman let out a soft hissing breath and her eyes closed. When she opened them there were tears in her eyes. "Selkies," she muttered the word like a curse.

Kenshin smiled at her and her lips twitched and she sighed again.

"You just had to land one with a brain didn't you?" She muttered to Kaoru.

Kaoru blinked and decided it was useless to try to change her mind. She caught Kenshin's look and glared.

"You might as well come in for tea," she grumbled.

Tea? Kaoru glanced over at Kenshin. She wasn't so certain that the old woman wouldn't attempt to poison her.

Kenshin gave a shrug, "rules of hospitality. You are not supposed to refuse what is offered."

The old woman sniffed approvingly. "You were brought up well I can see. Most of the young folk now a days wouldn't know good tea if it scalded them." She cocked her head at him. "How old are you anyway?"

Kenshin made a faint coughing sound and bent over to fiddle with a nonexistent strap of Kaoru's luggage.

The old woman snorted. "Old enough eh?"

She turned her gaze on Kaoru and Kaoru fought the urge to hide behind Kenshin. Luckily she didn't say anything just gestured for them to follow her down the street to the last house on the left. It was the only one that appeared to be well-tended to.

It was dark inside and the woman flicked on some lights but they did nothing much to get rid of the darkness. Everything in the house appeared old but well-kept. There was no TV and the only modern things that Kaoru could see was a battered old radio and a phone that was probably older than she was. A fisherman's net hung on the wall with sea shells and strands of kelp woven into it.

She led them through the house and into the kitchen where she turned and glared at them until they sat down at the dark brown, scarred old table. The scent of fish seemed to have seeped into the house, centering in the kitchen and Kaoru took a deep breath inhaling it.

The old woman muttered under her breath as she tinkered around the kitchen, setting the kettle on to boil and pulling out milk and sugar from her refrigerator. She dumped three cups onto the table in front of them followed by a dented tin of biscuits.

Kaoru glanced at Kenshin and he shrugged before opening the biscuit tin and selecting a biscuit from it. He gave it a tentative nibble and then nodded. No poison there at least. Kaoru selected her own and munched while the tea was made.

Tsking softly she set the teapot down on the table and poured herself a cup of tea before handing it to Kenshin who poured for both him and Kaoru. Kaoru added milk and sugar before taking a sip.

She couldn't remember when she last tasted tea this good. The tea in the City wasn't the same as the one she had enjoyed here as a child. Until she had tasted the tea here once again Kaoru hadn't realized how much she'd missed it. Something else she had forgotten.

"You've probably forgotten my name," the old woman said to her. "It's Emer. Emer Moriarty."

Kaoru nodded and took another sip of her tea.

Emer laughed mirthlessly. "You're being patient that's good to see. Children your age…" She shook her head. "They were the reason everyone left. All the young folk fled before the old ones did. They were too impatient, didn't want to wait for the change of seasons. Said that our village was too backwards and doomed to fail. And with the young ones gone the old couldn't run the village by themselves. They fled as well to live with their relatives inland or in nursing homes." Her mouth twisted at the thought. "I refused to go and so I'm the only one left here now."

"I'm sorry," Kaoru murmured.

"Bah," Emer waved a hand. "What's done is done. This village is nearly six hundred years old. Your ancestors settled here." She gave a shrug. "Everything must come to an end. I guess our time is up."

Kaoru reached out and squeezed her hand gently.

A smile flickered across Emer's face. "You do look much like your mother. She was decent. She couldn't help her want for the sea anymore than you can draw air into your lungs. We should have treated her better, I see that now."

Kaoru bit her lip.

Emer turned toward Kenshin and gave him a small grin. "Go ahead and ask I can see you're dying to that you are. Where is her skin hidden hmm?"

Kenshin smiled slightly, "I thought I was being patient old one."

"Old one," Emer snickered. "That's amusing coming from one such as you. Good money says you're older than I am."

Kaoru looked over at Kenshin who suddenly seemed to become very interested in a stain in the ceiling.

"How old are you anyway?" She asked.

"Not yet as old as the earth or the sea," was his reply.

Emer snickered again at the expression on Kaoru's face. "You didn't know I gather? Selkies stop aging once they reach maturity."

Kaoru blinked, "and how do you know this?"

"Old myths," Emer replied, "you would grown up on them and known them too if your father had allowed for it."

"Ah," Kaoru murmured.

"'Ah,' she says," Emer laughed. "I can see your head spinning from here child."

Kaoru took a sip of tea to save from replying.

"Stick around and have some babies," Emer advised. "It might bring the people back to the village."

Drinking her tea had been a mistake, Kaoru found herself choking. Kenshin oh-so-helpfully reached over to pound her back and dodged the kick she sent his way as she saw his face.

"Stop looking so amused," she hissed.

"You look cute when you're angry," he grinned.

Kaoru fought the urge to beat her head against the table.

Emer chuckled softly.

With a sigh Kaoru opened her eyes. "My mother's skin?" She asked. "What happened to it? Where was it hidden?"

The humor left Emer's face and the lines on her face appeared to deepen. "Your father put it out in the harbor. It's on that little rocky island in the middle of it. There was no chance your mother could have retrieved it. Your father knew she couldn't enter the water without her skin."

Kaoru's stomach turned. Kenshin's eyes had faded to a pale violet that was almost grey at Emer's words.

"Why didn't he just let her go when he saw she was dying?" Kaoru asked.

"He loved her," Emer replied, as if it explained everything. It probably did.

Kaoru shook her head, not looking at either of them. A touch on he arm made her raise her eyes to see Kenshin regarding her silently.

"Come on you need to get some air," he murmured.

Kaoru let him help her to feet without commenting.

"Thank you," he turned toward Emer and gave a small polite bow. "The tea was lovely."

Emer's eyes sharpened. "Take care of yourself and her Selkie. Under her breath she added. "The only things that can kill a Selkie are the loss of the sea and heartbreak."

Kenshin nodded in understanding. Carefully he steered Kaoru out of the house.

Emer watched them as they walked down the steps and into the street and then closed the door firmly behind them.

000

Kaoru let Kenshin bring her along until they were halfway down the street before tugging gently away. "I'm fine," she insisted.

"You don't look fine," he replied.

"Considering what's been happening to me the last day and a half I'm doing quite well I think," Kaoru replied. She turned, and squinted peering in the direction of the harbor and the small pinprick that was the rocky island. "It's hidden there," she chewed her lip as she regarded it.

Kenshin followed her gaze and nodded. "I can go retrieve it for you."

"No," Kaoru answered. "I'm going with you."

"We don't have a boat and it looks to be nearly half a mile out." Kenshin objected.

"We'll find something," Kaoru replied. "Or if not I'll swim it." She stepped away from him and turned in a slow circle looking around her carefully. "They… used to keep the boats in a small shed down along the beach."

Without waiting for Kenshin to follow her she took off down the street in the direction of the beach relying on memory.

It took a few minutes to locate the shed but Kaoru finally found it. The passage of years hadn't been kind to it. Large chunks had been torn from the walls and it looked as if it was ready to fall down. Kaoru just hoped the boats that were kept inside were intact and usable.

She looked over her shoulder to see Kenshin shadowing her and stepped toward the shed. The door was held closed with a small rusted lock that broke as she kicked at it. With a ear-splitting creak the door swung open.

Kaoru stepped inside and peered into the darkness. The scent of salt and fish mixed with moldy wood hit her and she wrinkled her nose.

"Can't see anything," she muttered under her breath.

There was a flicker of light and Kaoru half turned to see Kenshin balancing a small glowing orb of light above his finger tips.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You can do magic?"

"Selkies are Fae after all," he replied.

"Could I do that too?" She asked.

"I'll teach you sometime," he answered before flinging the light-ball into the air and letting the light spread through the shed.

It was as bad as Kaoru had feared.

The boats had obviously been the last things on the villager's minds when they had fled the village. Only half the number of boats she remembered was inside of the shed. Only four of those had been properly covered before being abandoned. The ones that hadn't were rotted or rusted from moisture and lack of care. Kaoru had the feeling that if she touched them they would fall apart.

Ignoring them she went over to the nearest covered boat and pulled the cover off of it. It looked to be in decent shape. Kaoru eyed it warily. Tentatively knocking on it she was gratified somewhat to find it didn't break apart at her touch.

The next one looked to be in worse shape so she avoided it and went the third and fourth. The third had a whole on the bottom and the fourth made an ominous raspy sound when she placed some weight against it.

It appeared that they would be trying the first one by default.

"Give me a hand?" She asked and gripped the side of the boat, thankful it was a light fishing skiff.

Kenshin nodded and took the other side and with some grunting they hauled it out of the shed and onto the beach.

"Wonder if they have some gas," Kaoru muttered eyeing the engine. She disappeared back into the shed and returned a moment later carrying a can. It felt full enough. She just hoped it could make the trip to and back from the island.

After adding the gas, there had been enough. It ended just below the full line. They got the skiff into the water and Kenshin gave the engine cord a tug. It sputtered for a moment, caught and then gave a purring noise.

"It works," he said.

"Hope it doesn't decide to suddenly sink on us." Kaoru murmured.

She settled back on the seat and closed her eyes enjoying the spray the boat tossed into the air as Kenshin steered it toward the island. Opening her eyes slightly she watched as it grew closer and closer.

Somewhere on that island was her mother's skin…

"Hey Kenshin," she asked. "Something's been bothering me."

"Hmm?" He glanced over toward her. "What is it?"

"My mother couldn't have gotten near the water because she was in human form and didn't have her skin. You're in human form obviously. How are you able to go near the water?"

"I have my skin with me," he replied.

"Where is it?" Kaoru asked.

"Someplace safe," he answered.

"You're not going to tell me are you?" Kaoru asked.

"That's a very intimate detail you're asking," he explained.

"Oops," Kaoru's cheeks colored. "Sorry."

He grinned. "It's not you're fault. But you're not supposed to ask a Selkie where they keep their skins. It lessens the chance of it being stolen."

"I see," Kaoru murmured.

Kenshin nodded again and for several moments neither of them spoke. Kaoru returned her gaze in the direction of the island and did her best not to fidget.

It seemed to take forever, but Kenshin finally slowed the skiff as they entered the shallows before cutting the engine. They both jumped out and together hauled it onto the beach and out of the range of the waves.

"Where do we start looking?" Kaoru questioned.

"The most logical place would be the cave over there," Kenshin nodded in the direction of a small rocky out cropping half covered in moss and shadows that seemed to suck in the light.

"There would have to be a cave on this island," Kaoru muttered, "how cliché."

"It would protect the skin from the elements," Kenshin said softly.

"What happens to the Selkie if something happens to their skin?" Kaoru asked.

"They die," Kenshin replied.

"My mother died," Kaoru murmured.

"Of a broken heart from being separated from the sea," Kenshin told her.

"You don't know that."

"Selkie skins are durable. You were a child when your mother died; it probably hadn't started to disintegrate by the time your mother died. But with the passage of years since then and her magic having died with her it may have done so by now."

Kaoru nodded grimly. "Let's go then."

They checked once more to make sure the boat was a good distance from the waves and had no chance of being caught by the tide before turning and walking up the hill in the direction of the cave, the ground changing from sand to rocky soil underfoot.

Inside the cave it was dark and the Kaoru's hand brushed against the wall and she drew back at the slimy feel of the wet rock. Kenshin cast a light-ball into the air and after a moment it brightened enough that they could see where they were going without the fear of tripping over rocks or bumping into something.

"Could you sense it or something?" Kaoru asked softly.

Kenshin shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to. But you might."

"What?" Kaoru blinked.

"You're her daughter." Kenshin replied.

"Oh," Kaoru murmured. "How do I do that?"

"Think of your mother," Kenshin told her.

Think of her… her memories were so vague that she would have forgotten what she actually looked like had it not been for the pictures her father had refused to throw out and kept around…

Without them she would have forgotten what she looked like. The only true memories she had of her mother were the impressions she had of her. Her actions and the things that she did…

Closing her eyes she pictured her mother as she remembered her. The bright blue of her eyes with the slight tilt at the corners. The aura of sadness she had carried that lifted momentarily whenever she smiled at her. The soft lullabies she would hum at night… how she would slip into her room during thunderstorms to make sure she was all right.

Her scent… a mixture of the sea and the myriad flowers of her garden…

At the edges of her mind she felt a small pulse…A quick throb that vanished before she could grasp and search it out.

Gritting her teeth slightly, Kaoru caught her memories again and added details. The small necklace she wore around her neck that her father had given her for her wedding… the ever present dirt under her fingernails. The lilt of her voice when she spoke even though Kaoru couldn't remember what it was she said.

There was an answering echo and Kaoru reached out and grabbed it tightly before it could fade. An image darted across the backs of her eyelids. Something that shone silver in the light with faint dappling across it…

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes slightly. "I've found it."

Kenshin nodded and gave her a quick smile. "Where?"

Kaoru narrowed her eyes slightly… "There…" She pointed in the direction straight ahead of them.

"I'll follow you," Kenshin cast another light-ball ahead of them to light the way.

Kaoru fought the urge to race ahead and restrained herself to a quick walk. She didn't know what was ahead of her, she reminded herself. It wouldn't be a good thing to accidentally go flying over a cliff…

The ground under their feet sloped upwards and became hard and flat. Once or twice Kaoru's feet slipped and she found Kenshin's hand under her elbow to help her regain her balance.

The path snaked before them, twisting suddenly and the ground abruptly flattened out.

A few strides more found them in the center of a large cavern. One of Kenshin's light-balls was thrown upward and Kaoru craned her neck back as she watched it soar into the air and continue flying higher and higher.

"It's there," she said softly. Along the walls of the cavern there was a small jutting ledge. The call she had been following emanated from there.

"I'll get it," Kenshin said.

"What you can fly now?" Kaoru asked, blinking. "I thought you were a sea creature not a bird."

He merely smiled and moved away from her in the direction of the ledge. As she watched the edges of his form began to blur. The next thing she knew he had become a streak of gold and red light.

She blinked.

And when she opened her eyes again he was standing in front of her, holding a small carefully wrapped parcel.

"Nifty trick," Kaoru managed. Her eyes fell on the parcel in his hands and her breath caught in her throat. "Is that…?"

"Yes," Kenshin replied.

Tears burned at her eyes unexpectedly. Carefully Kenshin handed it to her and she sank down onto the ground, clutching it gently. Her hands shook as she tugged at the strings holding it together and with a soft hiss of paper it came undone.

The skin shimmered in the light. It was a swirl of color, gray and silver, storm cloud and smoke. Kaoru hesitantly reached out to touch it and it felt like silk against her fingertips. She let out a long shuddering breath and raised it to her face. It even smelled like her mother…

An image flashed through her head… Her mother was haloed in golden light, turned toward her. There was a smile on her face...A real smile, one that radiated happiness and joy. The ever-present sadness that she had carried with her had vanished.

As Kaoru watched her skin began to shift and change turning into that of a seal and that silvery color spread across her as she turned from woman into Selkie. The last thing that remained human of her mother were her eyes – blue before darkening and turning the deep brown of a seal's. Slowly her mother moved away from her in the direction of the sea. A wave swept over her and she disappeared beneath it.

She had finally gone home.

Kaoru began to cry then. Clutching the sealskin she started to sob.

At the touch of her tears against the skin there was a faint humming sound. It began to dissolve and break up in her hands. It turned to dust, slipping through her fingers and vanishing before it even touched the ground.

"No," Kaoru whispered softly. She fisted her hands in an attempt to contain it but it continued to slip between the cracks of her fingers.

Kenshin touched her shoulder gently and she turned toward him, her arms going around his shoulders and pressing her face against his neck as she cried. He crooned wordlessly in reply and stroked her back as she shuddered and sobbed against him.

Kaoru cried herself into a half-daze. Vaguely she registered Kenshin taking off his jacket and slipping it onto her. It felt warm… she closed her eyes and burrowed into it.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked quietly.

"She was smiling," Kaoru murmured. "She was happy."

She felt Kenshin stroke her hair and leaned into the caress with a sigh. "I'm glad."

"I am too," he replied.

"Stay with me?" She asked hesitantly, opening her eyes.

Kenshin brushed a kiss against her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you," Kaoru said quietly. She felt him wrap his arms around her and snuggled into his embrace.

"Sleep," Kenshin murmured against her ear.

She gave a small nod and was then fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Kenshin watched her sleep and tried to sort out his thoughts.

When he had first found her in the City, he had wanted only to help her go back to sea. Selkies weren't meant to live away from the ocean. It had been good intentions with no strings attached. See her safely back to her home, back to the sea and then leave.

His good deed would have been completed.

It must have been her tears, he decided, that had changed everything. The broken hearted keening noise she had made. It had torn through him and his protective instincts had kicked in then.

Hurt, lost and alone… he couldn't have left her if he had tried.

Her reactions to Emer's innuendoes had been amusing. She really was adorable when she was angry. Her cheeks flushed with color and there was a sparkle in her blue eyes. The little growling noise she made without even seeming to realize what she was doing were cute.

Sometime without realizing it, this little lost Selkie had become _his_ little lost Selkie in his mind.

She sighed softly and snuggled closer, pulling him from his thoughts. His jacket really was too big for her. Her hands were lost in the sleeves and it swamped her. Ever so faintly he could smell her scent mixing with the smell of leather jacket and the ever present whiff of sea.

The air in the cave was growing colder. Reluctantly, Kenshin pulled away. He could tell by the air that it was going to rain. He had caught sight of some pieces of wood while they had explored the cave and it was best to collect them before the rain dampened them. Also fish always swam close to the surface when it rained. Kaoru would welcome some food and the heat fire would provide.

Murmuring a light sleep spell over her to keep her dreaming in his absence, he left.

000

Sometime while Kaoru slept it had begun to rain. She could hear the soft, steady patter of it against the roof of the cave.

There were faint crackling and popping sounds and she opened her eyes slowly. The cave was lit with a soft glow from the fire several feet away.

She blinked. Fire?

Sitting up she caught sight of Kenshin cooking some fish fillets just above the flames.

"You're awake," Kenshin smiled at her.

The picture she made was adorable. Her hair was messed from sleep and her right cheek slightly reddened from being pressed against her arm, which she had used as a pillow. He chuckled softly as she rolled the sleeves of his jacket back several times so her hands were free and then pulled her ribbon out of her hair and tied it back neatly.

"Fish?" Kaoru asked.

"Fresh caught," Kenshin selected one of the pieces and held it out to her.

Kaoru took the stick gingerly and blew on the meat before taking a tentative bite. "Tastes good," she murmured, sitting down cross-legged near to the fire.

Kenshin picked up the remaining pieces which looked to be done now and settled down next to her. He handed her another piece as she was nearly finished with her first and started eating his own. Kaoru sighed softly, resting her head lightly against his shoulder as she finished eating.

"I don't know what I'm going to do now," she murmured. "I can't return to the City and I don't want to stay here…"

"Come with me," Kenshin said softly.

Kaoru's eyes widened slightly. "Why? What obligation do you have to me? You don't even know me."

"You're a Selkie." Kenshin murmured. "Selkies take care of their own. Let me take care of you."

Kaoru blinked and then the tears started to fall again and Kenshin forced back a growl. Hadn't she had any friends? It didn't seem likely. And with her father's death she had been alone, tossed adrift like a piece of wood in the sea. Abandoned in a City that was slowly killing her with no way out and the only thing she had to rely on being herself.

"Let me take care of you…"

Had anyone said those words to her since her mother had died? From what he had managed to gather her father had lost himself in the grief of her mother's death and for the most part let himself forget that he had even had a daughter.

She loved him still and then lost him with his sudden and unexpected death.

Crooning softly he pulled her into his lap. Gently grasping her chin he tilted her head back and lowered his mouth to her face, kissing her cheeks and flicking away the tears that fell from her eyes. Kaoru made a soft sound that caught in her throat and her hands fisted in his shirt.

Kenshin rubbed his nose against her gently smiling as her eyes crossed as she attempted to look at him before blinking.

"I'm taking care of you _mo chroi_," Kenshin murmured.

Kaoru snorted softly. "Isn't it a bit early for endearments?"

"Course not _cara_," Kenshin smiled at her expression.

"_Amadan_," Kaoru retorted softly.

Kenshin laughed quietly and Kaoru sighed tucking her head against his shoulder. He stroked her hair and back and his touch and the sound of the still-falling rain, lulled her once more back to sleep.

He was still wrapped around her when Kaoru awoke. She yawned and rubbed at an eye and stuck her tongue out at him as he smiled in amusement.

"Were you awake the whole time?" She asked.

"Yes," he pressed a kiss against her cheek and chuckled when she rolled her eyes.

"You're cute when you sleep."

"That's a teensy bit creepy," she muttered but her words were soft. "How old are you exactly? And don't try to evade the question."

"_Ceithir ceud go leth_," Kenshin muttered quickly.

Kaoru quirked an eyebrow, "English please?"

"Four hundred and fifty."

Kaoru stared for a moment. And the slowly blinked… and blinked again… "Four hundred?" She repeated.

"And fifty," Kenshin murmured.

"Ah," Kaoru murmured slightly dazedly. "Immortal I gather?"

"So are you," Kenshin said, "if that makes you feel any better."

"Oddly enough it kind of doesn't," Kaoru replied.

She was still blinking and Kenshin fought the urge to wave his hand in front of her face. At least she hadn't fainted… he quashed that thought quickly in case he jinxed her.

"Kaoru?" He asked after a moment.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Peachy…" Kaoru shook her head. "By my reckoning you could've known my seven times great-grandmother."

"Oh," Kenshin couldn't think of what to say to that.

"I mean I know a hundred years or go it used to be quite normal for girls to marry or date guys ten or twenty years their senior… they offered stability that guys their age didn't…" Kaoru realized she was babbling and exactly what she was babbling about and shut her mouth.

She turned her head and for the first time in the past couple of minutes he felt she was actually looking at him. "Four hundred and fifty eh?"

"Yes," Kenshin answered.

"Could be worse," Kaoru murmured. "I mean since we're both immortal…" She blinked. "I've probably stopped aging haven't I? Eternally nineteen forever… I know girls that would kill me for that…" There she went babbling again…

"Kaoru?" Kenshin asked softly.

She had resumed blinking and didn't seem to hear him.

"Kaoru?" He tried again.

She didn't reply. Considering the revelations she was mulling over it wasn't as bad as a reaction as some he'd seen. She was screaming or crying or beating her head against a wall…

Still... Kenshin wished they were closer to the water so he could dump her into it and pull herself out of her shock.

No water handy here in the cave…

"Kaoru?" He attempted for a third time.

No reaction. He honestly hadn't expected one.

He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake.

That didn't work.

"Kaoru? Cara… c'mon now." He grasped her chin and attempted to get her to look at him. "Chroi?"

"Kaoru…" For a final time he tried. He lowered his mouth to hers, the kiss gentle. The reaction wasn't one he expected. Kaoru went stiff against him and before he could pull away he found she had tightened her hands in his shirt.

Her mouth opened, tongue flicking against his bottom lip and his response was automatic. There was desperation in her kiss; he could hear her whimpering softly low in her throat.

"Kaoru," he murmured as he pulled away.

She was trembling faintly against him, tucking her head against his chest, ear pressed right over his heart and she was silent for a moment. Listening to the steady beat. "Please," her voice was a whisper.

"You don't know what you're asking," Kenshin replied.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," her tone of voice made his heart twist.

"You're not alone anymore. You will never be alone again." Kenshin's voice was fierce.

"I believe you," Kaoru murmured. She raised her head and Kenshin felt relieved to see a small hesitant smile.

He dropped a kiss on her nose and grinned at the expression she made.

"I'm finishing what I started."

Kaoru blinked.

"You're a Selkie but you were never taught to Call your skin were you?"

"Um… no?" Kaoru offered.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then disentangled himself from her and got to his feet.

"What are you doing?" Kaoru asked when she saw his him starting to lift the hem of his long-sleeved t-shirt.

"Watch," was all he said.

Kaoru's eyes widened when he pulled off his t-shirt.

"Ooh," Kaoru murmured. "Is that…?"

Kenshin ducked his head slightly, "my skin yes."

Across his chest and shoulders and down along his arms were a scattering of… she couldn't call them anything other than dapples. They were reddish in color and haloed by a thin line of gold at the edges.

"That's how a Selkie carries their skin with them," Kaoru said softly.

"Yes," Kenshin replied. "But in the old days it was very conspicuous. If someone saw your skin they would know you for what you were. Most Selkies would discard their skins and stashed them some place safe. It's only recently with the old myths fading into obscurity and the popularity of body tattoos that it is safe to go around wearing your skin while in human form."

Kaoru made a soft sputtering sound when he started to undo his belt.

She raised her gaze to his, locking eyes and doing her best not to look elsewhere. Her blush really was adorable and Kenshin fought the urge to smile. She'd probably hit him for it.

"Watch," he said softly.

And then closed his eyes.

He could feel his skin rippling across him, spreading and the faint tingle of magic. There was the stretch and snap of sinews twisting and reforming themselves, not painful but just an uncomfortable feeling that he had long since grown used to. His face contorted and he could feel a muzzle forming and whiskers tickling. His legs melded together and twisted and he fell slowly to the ground with a thump.

He always hated that part of the shift.

His body shuddered, twitching once more and then it was over. When he opened his eyes he was seeing as a Selkie was. He saw more in this form than he did as a human. The world was a riot of color… the trails and edges and essence of magic that was imbued in every living thing.

Kaoru was edged in silver, glinting in her hair like moonlight. Her eyes seemed to glow in his sight.

She started to giggle her voice lilting and musical leaving trails of silver in the air.

"You're fat as a seal," her eyes were sparkling.

Kenshin would have replied but his current form limited such things as talking.

He returned to human form, the change faster and easier than the one to seal. Kenshin had always wondered what their true forms were. They were born as humans but could take the form of seals and he found it easier to be human than seal. Others were the opposite and preferred to be a seal than human.

Kaoru was still blushing but her face wasn't as red as before. He grabbed his trousers anyway for her benefit since for this he needed her to be concentrating and not distracted.

There would be plenty of times later for her to be distracted.

"Come here," he murmured, sitting down and patting the ground next to him.

"Do I have to be naked?" Kaoru asked.

"It makes the change easier when you're not trying to flounder your way out of clothes." Kenshin replied.

"Ah," Kaoru nodded and tugged off her shirt. She bit her lip, pausing and then undid her bra and pants, kicking them off. She kept her underwear on and he could see her skin reddening as she tried to fight a full-body blush.

He chuckled softly and her glare made her eyes snap and sparkle.

"You're beautiful," he murmured and captured her mouth once more with his. Kaoru tensed and then relaxed against him.

"You need to relax," his teeth grazed her pulse, fluttering against her skin and she made a gasping sound. "Otherwise it'll be more painful than it has to be. The first few changes are never easy."

She nodded soundlessly and sighed. He kissed her again, pulling away only when she went boneless against him a purr rumbling her throat. Carefully he tugged at her panties, sliding them down her legs and tossing them away.

Kaoru tensed slightly and relaxed. He felt her tug at a strand of his hair, winding it through her fingers.

He kissed her lightly on the mouth murmuring a soft endearment in Gaelic that had her eyes narrowing a second later when she translated.

"Ready?" He asked.

She hesitated and then nodded.

Kenshin raked his bangs out of his eyes as he thought for a moment how to best explain it to her. "Think of the sea… Everything about it… how it looks, how it sounds, how it feels… tastes… every little detail you can think of…"

Kaoru nodded and there were faint frown lines between her eyes as she concentrated.

Kenshin tapped the part of him that was magic, the part that recognized her for what she was a Selkie like him and let it see through his eyes. Ever so faintly the edges of Kaoru's form became outlined in silver.

"Good," he said softly. He touched her shoulder gently and felt the dormant magic in her stir as it recognized him. He touched it, a quick stroke meant to coax. It flared and Kaoru shuddered underneath his palm, her skin rippling.

"There," Kenshin said. "Do you feel it?"

"Yes," Kaoru whispered softly. Silver was reflected in her eyes. Rising like bubbles from the depths to the surface and spreading across her eyes swallowing the blue and turning it into pure silver.

Her skin rippled again and she gasped shuddering. Her spine arched and her breath came in quick short pants.

Her skin shifted then turning partially translucent before deepening into silver. Smoke-edged black dapples flowed across her like a wave. The pale-pink of human skin giving way to the mottled coat that was that of a seal.

She was beautiful even now with her human-self wearing her Selkie-skin. Kenshin spared a thought that they would make a fine pair. Him with his skin of red and gold and her clothed in silver and black.

He crooned softly and felt an answering hum from her newly-awoken magic.

Kaoru's eyes widened and she raised a hand and stared at her arm like she had never seen it before. Hesitantly she laid another hand against her arm and then drew back, still staring.

"Beautiful," Kenshin murmured. He took one of her hands in his and pressed a light kiss to the back of her palm.

"It…" Kaoru bit her lip. "It feels good… Right somehow…" Pain flashed through her eyes. "I can understand now why Selkies die when their skins are stolen… to be separated…" she didn't finish the sentence.

"Come," Kenshin got to his feet, pulling her up with him. "We're too far from the sea right now."

"The sea," Kaoru echoed. Her eyes widened and she nodded.

Kenshin squeezed her hand and then led her from the cave, following the path they had taken back to the beach.

Kaoru was silent except for gasping every so often. He watched as she reached out to touch things, trailing her fingertips along the stone wall or piece of moss. Her magic was awakening and filling her and she was seeing with eyes that saw magic and recognized it for what it was for the first time.

She caught his gaze and smiled, it was a brilliant smile full of joy and he felt a mirroring one on his face. He grabbed her quickly, kissed her and spun her around and then set her back on her feet and they resumed walking.

Kaoru stopped mid-stride as they exited the cave and the beach stretched out before them. The rain had stopped and the sun was attempting to peak through the clouds.

"Oh…" Kaoru breathed, her silver-edged eyes were huge in her face. "It's…" Her eyes fluttered close and faintly he heard her hum softly, echoing the siren song of the sea that she was hearing for the very first time.

"Come," Kenshin tugged on her hand, pulling her from her thoughts.

She smiled at him and once more he couldn't help but smile back.

"Let me take you into the sea."

She nodded and walked forward with him toward the sea.

He waded into the water and felt her pause just at the water edge before joining him and wading deeper into it.

At the edges of his sight he saw her magic spreading out and touching the water with silver. His own reached out and stroked her and there was a soft chiming sound as the two met and twined.

Kaoru's eyes widened and her gaze flew to his. He pulled her against him and kissed her gently. "I promise it won't hurt. It'll be uncomfortable – it always is, but it shouldn't hurt."

She nodded and tucked her head underneath his chin, pressing her ear to his chest and listening to the beat for a moment. Kenshin hugged her quickly and then stepped away, holding only her hand.

"Picture a seal," he told her. "Picture yourself as a seal."

Kaoru bit her lip and nodded. Her eyes closed and he felt her tense.

"Relax," he murmured. "Don't force it."

She cracked open an eye and nodded once more and he could see her relaxing slightly.

Ever so slightly he saw her skin ripple, shimmer for a moment like heat upon water. There were faint stretching and twisting sounds and Kaoru gasped, both eyes flying open.

"It's okay," Kenshin said reassuringly, squeezing her hand lightly. And then her hands twisted becoming flippers and she fell against him as her legs melded together becoming a tail. Her ears slid up the side of her head and disappeared and her face twisted and reformed itself as a muzzle. The last thing to remain human of her was her eyes, silver-edged blue that then turned into the deep brown of a seal's.

The look she gave him was a mixture of shock and amazement. He choked back a laugh. Stepping away he let her figure out how her new form worked. She floundered slightly in the water before there was the audible click as she understood what the magic whispering to her was saying.

She gave a strong kick and disappeared beneath the water to reappear a moment later as she surfaced for breath and then dove underneath once again.

He waited for several moments, watching her revel in her new shape before making the change to seal as well.

He located her quickly several feet away and nudged her as he came close, rubbing his muzzle with hers. She swam circles around him and there was the closest thing to a smile on her face.

He gave a strong kick and brushed against her in passing and moved quickly away. Looking back at her he saw her pause before she realized what he was doing and then darted after him.

He swam ahead of her, just letting her within several feet, slowing down only to speed up once again as she neared him. He stopped and she spun in the other direction immediately and he chased.

They did this for a long time letting Kaoru test out the limits of her new body. She was fast and graceful and caught on very quickly when he showed her how to hunt fish in seal-form.

It was only as he noticed her tiring did he nudge her back in the direction of the shore.

The change from seal to human was easier and Kaoru seemed to be more comfortable in her skin this time. She was yawning and not wanting to make the trek back into the cave he simply called his jacket and their clothes. After putting their clothes back on he spread his jacket out on the sand and laid down on it.

With Kaoru curled in his arms, already sleeping, and the warmth from the sun Kenshin fell asleep quickly.

000

Kaoru woke before Kenshin did. The sun was starting to set now and gave everything a golden glow. It reflected off the water, staining it in the colors of dusk – burnished reds and dark purples and deep midnight blues all edge by golden light. Kaoru could see the faint shimmer and twinkle of magic in the air and almost taste it, gently tingling and reminding her faintly of fresh apples on her tongue.

Kenshin was still asleep beside her, one arm thrown loosely around her waist. Kaoru propped her head up on her fist studying him while he slept. The fading light of the sun brought out the gold and copper highlights in his red hair, enhanced his light-tan and accented his features. He was a creature of red and gold even in his Selkie-skin.

Faint lyrics darted through her head a soft song that told of memories and the colors of red and gold and pain turned into happiness.

She smiled slightly, they were appropriate.

Kenshin stirred and she felt his arm around her waist tighten and then he relaxed. His eyes fluttered open and she caught flickers of gold and violet swirling lazily beneath his lids.

"Hello," she kissed him softly on the cheek and heard him sigh. A contented sound.

He nuzzled at her neck, tongue flicking out to taste the salt left by the sea on her skin and a faint purr rose upward from his throat.

"You sound like a cat," she muttered, her voice affectionate. "I don't think seals purr."

"This one does," Kenshin murmured. His hands settled on her waist and he rolled onto his back, pulling her to rest on top of him.

Kaoru sighed softly and tucked her head beneath his chin, listening to the now familiar beat of his heart. It was soothing. A constant reminder that someone was there with her. Who cared for her.

"What do we do now?" She murmured.

"That is up to you," Kenshin murmured. "What do you want to do?"

"Stay with you." A brief flicker of uncertainty crossed her face, "if you'll let me that is..."

"Chroi…" She twitched slightly at the endearment and he grinned. "There was never any chance of you not staying with me. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

She snorted, "oh I like being with you at the moment. Give me a bit and I may decide otherwise. What would you do then?"

"Convince you that being without me a rather silly notion and persuade you to stay with me."

"Oh?" Kaoru arched an eyebrow.

"Mmm," Kenshin murmured. "I can be very convincing." He tugged gently on a stand of her hair and lowered her mouth to his and didn't release her until she went boneless against him and was purring softly.

"Cheat," she muttered softly. "Is that how you're going to resolve any future conflicts between us?"

"Course," Kenshin grinned. "And I may just start a few only so that we can resolve them."

Kaoru snorted and he chuckled quietly.

"So what do we do now?" Kaoru questioned.

"You come live with me."

"Oh? And where is that exactly?"

"In one of the underwater cities."

Kaoru blinked, "underwater cities?" She echoed.

Kenshin laughed at her expression. "Another part of your heritage that was denied you… Selkies live in underwater cities."

"Underwater cities…" Kaoru muttered. "Sounds like something from a Fantasy novel or a Disney movie…."

"They are very much real." Kenshin replied.

"Oh I believe you," Kaoru answered. "Just still trying to process how odd my life has suddenly become…Wonder what it's like to be normal…"

"There is no such thing as normal," Kenshin assured her. "So don't even try. You'll just give yourself a headache."

Kaoru stuck her tongue out at him. "And I suppose that's your age and experience talking?"

Kenshin snorted and she kissed his cheek gently.

"Come with me?" He asked.

"Course," Kaoru murmured.

He smiled, "then it would be best cara that we leave now. It's growing dark and swimming at night is tricky. Our other option would be to stay here for the night and leave in the morning and it will be very cold tonight and I think we used up most of our burnable wood with the earlier fire… There are other ways to keep warm…" She smacked his shoulder and he grinned. "But the city where I live is not that far and for sleeping, I'd much prefer a soft bed to a hard cave floor."

"I would too if I was given the choice," Kaoru replied.

"So it is best that we leave now," Kenshin got to his feet and held out a hand to help her to hers.

"Will we be able to come back?" Kaoru asked softly.

Kenshin nodded, "of course. Anytime you wish it."

Kaoru hesitated and then nodded. "Let's go then."

This time the shift to seal was easier than the one before.

Kaoru had a feeling that in time it would become as natural to her as breathing. Already she felt like she'd been changing from human to seal for forever. It was comfortable, like wrapping yourself up in your favorite blanket or slipping on your most loved pair of shoes.

Together they swam into the slowly darkening waters. Kenshin alongside her, every so often brushing against her to remind her that he was there… he was a steady, constant presence. He said he'd never leave her and she believed it. She'd known him for only a short time and it amazed her how much she'd already come to depend on him.

Love him…

Yes, she loved him. It felt right to say it. It was right to say because it was true.

She loved him.

And he loved her.

Kaoru knew she'd have adjustments to make in her life. Too much had changed for her not to need to learn to adapt more than she had now. But he would be with her, at her side – coaxing and guiding, soothing, caring, and occasionally provoking her just to get her to lose her temper.

Loving…

Kenshin paused and touched her muzzle with his.

'Ready?' His voice echoed through her head.

'Yes,' Kaoru replied.

Kenshin nuzzled her once more and then turned away. Kaoru saw his seal-brown eyes flare briefly golden and the water around them buzzed with magic. The water rippled and wavered like the sun reflecting off water and parted suddenly like a curtain. Kaoru blinked.

When she opened her eyes stretched out below them was a city. High-arched glass domes covered and it was a riot of color beneath the clear covering. She could hear the sounds of soft humming and quiet singing. A faint tingle rolled across her skin. It had been present ever since she had met Kenshin and she had stopped paying attention to it. But now felt stronger than ever before.

Selkies.

Others like her.

Like them.

'Come,' Kenshin coaxed and together they swam toward the underwater city and to Kaoru's new life.

000

Authors Notes:

Mo Chroi Gaelic for my dear/ my darling

Cara Love

Amadan Fool

That's the end of Sealskin. It was meant to just be a short-series (since I'm working on so many long series anyway…) I'm at work at a Sequel that depending how long it goes will be either a one-shot to yet another short (3-4 chapter) series.

Shiin


End file.
